KSEB decision on water release draws praise

The Electricity Pensioners’ Welfare Association has hailed the steps taken by the Kerala State Electricity Board to handle the rising water level in the Idukki reservoir.

In a statement issued here on Thursday, K. Radhakrishnan, chairman of the association, said that without yielding to demands triggered by widespread panic and misleading media reports, the Board had correctly assessed the situation on a foolproof technical platform and arrived at a decision to avoid the premature opening of the dam.

The association was of the opinion that the situation in the reservoir had not been alarming. It was true that the water level was fast approaching the full reservoir level of 2,403 feet.

Water inflow

The inflow was at a high rate approaching 300 cubic metres per second. But even that rate was very small compared with the possible spillway discharge. Moreover, the water level could go up for short periods up to the maximum water level of 2,408 feet.

He said the spillway of the Idukki reservoir was in the Cheruthoni dam and it had a maximum discharge capacity above 5,000 cubic metres per second.

The present net inflow, which meant the total inflow minus the outflow for generation, was merely around 150 cubic metres per second. Thus the situation never became alarming.

Power generation

He said increasing the power generation from Idukki now would be a good option to stop the water level from rising during the northeast monsoon.

Copious rain

Even with the present copious rain, Kerala would have to depend heavily on imported power this year. All major projects for power generation in the State have been prevented by certain sections at least for the past 20 years.